Car-mover



UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. M. SIMMS, OF DE SOTO, MISSOURI.

CAR-MOVER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 475,902, dated May 31,1892.

Application filed January 22, 1892. Serial No. 418,946. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. M. SIMMS, of the city of De Soto,Jefferson county, and State of Missouri, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Car-Movers, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to improvements in car-movers; and it consists inthe novel arrangement and combination of parts, as will be more fullyhereinafter described and designated in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my complete inventionas applied to one side of the truck and one of the rails. Fig. 2 is aperspective View of my complete invention detached from the car. Fig. 3is a perspective view of the sliding grip which is used in connectionwith the rail, and Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the clamp which Iemploy in attaching the device to the truck of the car.

The object of my invention is to provide a novel and simplifiedconstruction in this class of invention, and is especially employed atway-stations,sidings, &c., where cars are desired to be moved a shortdistance without the use of a locomotive, which are generally used forthat purpose.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents one end of an ordinary car, 2the truck of the same, and 3 one of the rails upon which the wheels ofthe truck rest.

4 represents the lower brace, which partially constitutes thetruck-frame of the car and to which the immovable clamp 5 is easilyattached without any inconvenience.

The clamp 5 which I employ is constructed very cheaply and is made of asingle piece of metal forged in the shape as shown in Fig. 4 of thedrawings in order to adapt itself to the lower brace 4 of thetruck-frame.

6 represents a rounded extension formed on the said clamp 5 and to oneside of the same, which is received by a suitable opening formed in oneend of the connecting-rod 7, as better illustrated in Fig. 2. Theopposite side of the clamp 5 is provided with a screw-threaded openingfor receiving a suitable turn-screw 8, the end of which screw comes incontact with the side of the brace 4 of the truck-frame when the saidscrew is turned in the proper direction, causing said clamp to berigidly secured to said brace 4.

9 represents a suitable operatin g-leve r, which is provided with asuitable handle 1 0, and the opposite end of said lever is suitablybent, in order to answer the purpose and to accommodate itself to theremaining parts. The said lower end of the lever 9 is provided with asuitable number of openings 11, by means of which the remaining partsconstituting my invention can be easily attached to the said lever. Thatend of the rod 7 opposite to the perforated end is provided with arounded projection 12, projecting at right angles therefrom, and isadapted to be passed through any one of the openings 11, as best shownin Fig. 2, making a movable connection between said rod and lever 9.

The grip which I employ is especially con structed for the purpose andis very simple in construction, and yet answers the purpose for which itis designednamely, that the said grip will slide in one direction whenthe lever 9 is moved and will grip the rail when a reverse movement isimparted to the said lever in the opposite direction, the constructionof which grip is best shown in Fig. 3.

13 represents a movable grip, the body portion of which is constructedof a single piece of metal, and when properly shaped and formed twoprojecting lips 14 will be formed, which by the formation of said gripwill assume the position as shown. By the construction of the said gripit will be seen that the distance between the two lips 14 vary, theshorter distance between said lips being the impinging portion of saidgrip, and the wider distance between the two said lips allowingsufficient space for the grip to slide upon the rail.

15 represents two rounded extensions formed on the widest portion of thesaid grip .and projecting beyond the sides of the same, which areadapted to be passed in the lower opening 11, formed in the lower end ofthe lever 9, forming a movable connection between said grip and lever.

In both of the lips 14 are formed screwthreaded openings 16, withinwhich is screwed a second hand-screw 17, one end of which is adapted tocome in contact with one side of the rail. The object of the twoscrew-threaded openings 16 is to receive the turn-screw 17 on eitherside of the grip, the object of which will be hereinafter morespecifically set forth. Secured to the top of the grip 13 is a curvedplate 18, the ends of which are adapted to rest upon the upper surfaceof the rail to which the said grip is attached and tends to hold thegrip in its proper position and location to said rail.

When the grip is placed in position and attached to the various parts,as shown in Fig. 2, one of the rounded projections 15 of said grip isreceived by a suitable opening formed in one end of a brace 19 and theopposite end of said brace passed through one of the openings 11, formedin the lever 9, by means of which the parts are held in their properrelation to one another, and yet movable to allow the true workings ofthe device.

Before proceeding further it would be well to state that the variousparts constituting my invention are attached to one another and held inthat position by means of suitable split pins 20, which render the partsdetachable.

The grip and remaining parts of the device, asshown in Fig. 2, are in aposition to push the car when attached to the right-hand side of therail and car looking to said car. In this instance the grip will slideupon the rail when the lever 9 is lowered and will bite the said railwhen the lever 9 is elevated. In

, applying the grip in this position upon the rail the said grip isloosely placed upon the rail in its proper position, as shown in Fig. 1,and the hand-screw 17 turned until one end of the said screw comes incontact with one side of the said i'ail, care being observed that thesaid grip is parallel, ornearly so, with the rail. This being true, thelever 9 when elevated will cause the grip to slightly turn by the powerapplied to one side of the same, causing the said grip, asit were, toturn on its axis, the end of the screw 17 coming in contact with oneside of the railand the edge of the lip 14 opposite the said screwcoming in contact with the opposite side of the rail, preventing thegrip from sliding in one direction; but when the lever 9 is lowered thesaid grip will slide upon the rail and is in proper position to grip therail again When the said lever is elevated. Thus it may be stated thatthe device is entirely automatic. The momentum of the car after beingpushed, as above stated, will carry the grip a suflicient distance, whenpower is applied again to the lever 9, and so on until the car is movedthe required distance.

Should it be desired to pull the car, the entire device is located onthe opposite rail and attached to the truck-frame on the opposite sideof the car, and in order to cause the device to work effectually thegrip is attached to the lower end of thelever in a reverse position tothat shown in Fig. 2namely, the rounded project-ion that has beenpreviously attached to the brace 9 will be located in the opening insaid lever and the rounded projection that has been previously insertedin said opening attached to the brace. In this instance the lever 9 onbeing elevated will cause the grip 13 to slide; but when the said leveris depressed the said grip will bite the rail and the power applied tosaid lever will be imparted to the connecting-rod 7, and consequently tothe truck-frame of the car. Of course it will be understood that byapplying the grip 13 to the track, as last described, the hand-screw 17will be screwed into the screwthreaded opening formed in one of the lips14 opposite to that shown in Fig. 2, causing, in other words, the grip13 to work in an opposite direction to that first described. It may bedeemed preferable, however, in some instances to employ two devices, onelocated upon each rail and attached to the car in the manner aspreviously stated and arrange the grips in such a manner (or in areverse position to one another) in order that when the lovers 9 areoperated by each hand the momentum of the car will be continuously keptup, and in this case under no circumstances will the car he allowed tomove in a reverse direction while moving the said car the properdistance upon the rails.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A car-movercomprising a grip, lips, such as 14, formed on the same and providedwith screw-threaded openings, a hand-screw, such as 17, adapted to bescrewed into one of said openings for adjusting the said grip upon therail, and rounded projections, such as 15, projecting on each side ofthe said grip, whereby power may be applied to one side of the saidgrip, substantially as described.

2. A car-mover consisting of agrip,such as 13, rounded projections, suchas 15, formed on the same, screw-threaded openings formed in the saidgrip, a hand-screw, such as 17, adapted to be screwed into one of saidopenings, a lever, such as 9, provided with a suitable number ofopenings, one of which openings is adapted to receive one of the roundedprojections 15, formed on the said grip, a clamp, such as 5, adapted tobe attached to the truck-frame of the car, and a connecting-rod, such as7, one end of which is attached to the said clamp and the opposite endremovably attached to the said lever above the point where the said gripis attached to the said lever, substantially as described.

3. A car-mover consisting of a clamp, such as 5, provided with ahand-screw 8 for adjusting the said clamp to the truck-frame of the car,a rounded projection, such as 6, formed on the said car,connecting-rods, such as 7, one end of which is attached to the said proj ection, a lever, such as 9, provided with a suitable number ofopenings, such as 11, by means of which the opposite end of said rod 7is attached to the said lever, a grip, such as 13, provided with roundedprojections, such as 15, one of which is adapted to be received by oneof said openings 11, lips, such as 14, formed in said grip and providedwith screw-threaded openings 16,a hand-screw, such as 17, adapted to bescrewed into one of said openings, and a brace, such as 19, one end ofwhich is attached to one of said rounded projections 15, formed on saidgrip and the opposite end of said brace inovably attached to the saidlever, substantially as set forth.

4. A car mover comprising a grip, lips formed on the same, each of whichare of like dimensions, rounded projections projecting on each side ofsaid grip, whereby power may be applied to either side of the grip, andmeans for adjusting the said grip upon the rail,preventing the same fromslipping in one direction and allowing it to slide in an oppositedirection when power is applied to one side of the same, substantiallyas described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

GEORGE W. M. SIMMS. Witnesses:

G. K. JONES, O. F. KELLER.

